EXCERPTS: (Balance of article at the above website):
"The Pastors College has been the pride and joy of Sovereign Grace Ministries but it is on life support and someone needs to pull the plug!
Let me illustrate from the most recent Audited Financial Statements. Operating expenses for the school year 2012-2013 were $743,000. Revenues were $137,000. That resulted in a $606,000 deficit for a ten month program. Incredible. But here’s the real kicker. Only nine students graduated from the Pastors College in 2013. And the same is true in 2014 – just nine graduates.
This kind of spending makes the Federal Government look frugal and efficient by comparison. And please don’t think 2012-2013 was an aberration. Over the last four years, the Pastors College has amassed a deficit of 1.9 million. That is incomprehensible. If only for financial reasons, the Pastors College should be shut down.
Of course, Jeff Purswell and Gary Ricucci are not going to be laid off even though they are the main operating expense for the Pastors College. Compensation and benefits for 2012-2013 totaled $482,000. I’d love to know how much Purswell was paid to part time teach nine students for ten months. And I’d like to know how much Ricucci was paid to care for nine PC families. His group was smaller in size than most Care Groups or Home Groups in Sovereign Grace churches.
These are the kind of questions SGM never answers and don’t reveal in their budget or financial statements. This kind of arrangement is only possible in a good ole boy network. Purswell is on the SGM Leadership Team, Ricucci is Mahaney’s brother-in-law, etcetera, etcetera, etcetera. What a life of ease!
If you go to the SGM website for the Pastors College you’ll see this picture. It is the graduating class of 2011-2012. Dave Harvey pointed out it was “the largest ever for us” when he was looking for some good news to share about SGM in July 2011. You will also read on the website that “usually 15-25” students attend the college every year. That is a falsehood. The PC has never had more than the 23 students like it did in 2011-2012. That was a banner year.
At the time of this photo, the Pastors College was housed in the Covenant Life Church building in Gaithersbrug, MD. It had a top notch lecture hall, offices, library, and Starbucks like kitchenette and lounge area for students. All this was paid for by SGM donors. SGM also owned five townhouses free and clear for student housing.
All of this was lost when C.J. Mahaney angrily left Covenant Life Church and impulsively moved SGM to Louisville, Kentucky in August 2012. The real reason for moving was covered up by one of the most deceptive statements put out by SGM over the past 3 years. It was written by Chairman of the Board and alleged sexual sadist under criminal investigation, John Loftness. I am still astounded by the shameless dishonesty contained in his Relocation Announcement.
As everyone now knows the move to Louisville has proven to be a disaster. As an aside, SGM was forced to sell the five townhouses for 1.4 million and land in its possession for $627,000. But even with the 2.0 million in proceeds from those sales, SGM ran a budget deficit of 1.2 million in 2012 and 1.6 million in 2013. SGM is now using deceptive means to raise money. It only figures. That’s what corrupt organizations do. See SGM Uses “Strategic Global Projects” to Fraudulently Raise Money.
But there is more bad news for the Pastors College. SERIOUS bad news! In May, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary (SBTS) severed its “special agreement” with Sovereign Grace Ministries over “suspicions cast upon Sovereign Grace by the ongoing civil suit, and again by the recent Morales trial.” The civil suit catalogues unimaginable sex crimes and the criminal conspiracy to cover them up in SGM.
The “Morales trial” is a reference to Nathaniel Morales who was a member of Covenant Life Church while C.J. Mahaney was the senior pastor. Morales abused numerous boys in the church from 1983-1991. This was known to Mahaney and he conspired to cover up the crimes with his pastoral staff. Grant Layman, his brother-in-law and fellow pastor, testified to this effect in two separate trials. Morales was found guilty on eight counts of child sexual abuse and offense with a maximum sentence of 120 years. Immediately after these trials concluded in May, SBTS ended its “articulation agreement” with the Pastors College. This was confirmed by Bob Allen of ABPnews.
Thereafter, this letter from Jeff Purswell was sent to the nine students in the Pastors College.
Dear Brothers,
I’m writing with some disappointing news. Southern Seminary has informed me that it is discontinuing the formal relationship between Southern and Sovereign Grace. This is a rather complex situation, and I’m unable to share all of the internal factors influencing their decision. Suspicions cast upon Sovereign Grace by the ongoing civil suit, and again by the recent Morales case, have unfortunately produced pressures upon various friends and partners of Sovereign Grace. Such factors appear to have played a role in this suspension.
My conversations with Southern representatives were nonetheless encouraging—they are grateful for Sovereign Grace’s influence and for the pastors who are studying at SBTS, and they hope this continues. This change involves only the formal degree-completion agreement between our organizations.
Here are the main implications of this development:
- The key point is this: Future students from Sovereign Grace no longer qualify for automatic credit transfer or for an SBTS scholarship under the degree-completion program.
- Fortunately, students who have already had their Pastors College credits transferred to SBTS retain those hours.
- Students from Sovereign Grace continue to be welcome to apply to SBTS and may submit transcripts and request to have credits transferred from the Pastors College (or any other institution). These will be treated on a case-by-case basis, just like any other student. The status of the Pastors College as an academic institution from which SBTS will consider transfer credit has not changed.
- Students from Sovereign Grace may apply for financial aid from SBTS. These will also be treated on a case-by-case basis, like any other student.
- In sum, there is no longer a special agreement between SBTS and Sovereign Grace. Pastors College graduates may pursue degrees, credit-transfers, and financial aid like any other student, just not under the auspices of any agreement with SBTS.
Officials at SBTS communicated that they want to do all they can to keep from penalizing current students who transferred credits from the Pastors College. They also desire to give students as much information as possible so that they can anticipate tuition costs. Moreover, they hope that Sovereign Grace students will continue to consider SBTS as they plan their academic futures.
This is obviously a disappointing development. However, we as pastors should not be deterred from continuing to grow in our biblical and doctrinal understanding, whether that be informally or formally, through SBTS or another institution. We continue to appreciate SBTS and are grateful for the relationship we have enjoyed over the past couple of years, and it is possible that that relationship could be reestablished in the future. Even more so, I am grateful for the blessing of the Pastors College and its unique mission to equip men for pastoral ministry within our family of churches. In God’s mercy, the college was built without reliance upon any single institution, and it will continue to be so.
If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me or anyone on the Pastors College staff."
Yours in Christ,
Jeff
The hope of a “degree completion program” with SBTS was a prominent reason for relocating SGM and the PC to Louisville.
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Former Churches of Sovereign Grace Ministries
- Abundant Grace Community Church - Phil Courson - Gainesville, FL
- Brandywine Grace Church - Kenny Lynch - Downingtown, PA
- Christ Church - Toby Kurth - San Francisco, CA
- Christchurch - Pete Greasley - Newport, Wales
- City Church (closed) - Zac Martin - Brooklyn, NY
- Comunidad Cristiana de Otay - Mario Jacobo - Tijuana, Mexico
- Covenant Life Church - Joshua Harris - Gaithersburg, MD
- Covenant Life Community Church - Norm Dufrin - East Lansing, MI
- Crossway Church - Pat Sczebel - Surrey, BC, Canada
- CrossWay Fellowship Church - Paul Cooke - Athens, GA
- Grace Christian Fellowship - Bill Farley - Spokane, WA
- Grace Church - Mark Lauterbach - San Diego, CA
- Grace Church of East County (didn't join) - Tab Trainor - San Diego, CA
- Grace Community Church - Jim Britt - Melbourne, FL
- Grace Community Church - Luan Nguyen - Sarasota, FL
- Grace Community Church - Don Sharpe - Kingsville, MD
- Grace Community Church - Allen Snapp - Corning, NY
- Gulf Coast Community Church - Jerry Cisar - St. Petersburg, FL
- Nagongera Gospel Centre - John Ofumbi - Uganda
- Palm Vista Community Church - Al Pino - Miami Lakes, FL
- Philippines - Fernando Impang - Bohol, Philippines
- Providence Church of Pittsburgh - Mike Pierson - Pittsburgh, PA
- Redeemer Church of Arlington - Eric Simmons - Arlington, VA
- Redeemer Church of Charlottesville - Keith Breault - Charlottesville, VA
- Riverside Christian Fellowship - Brian Brookins - Fort Lauderdale, FL
- Redemption Hill Church - Tony Walsh - Surrey/Langley, BC
- Sovereign Grace Church - Tim Merwin - Titusville, FL
- Sovereign Grace Church - Jesse Jarvis - Daytona Beach, FL
- Sovereign Grace Church - Josh Fenska - Oswego, IL
- Sovereign Grace Church - Darren Lander - Cleveland, OH
- Sovereign Grace Church - Mark Altrogge - Indiana, PA
- Sovereign Grace Church - Matt Rawlings - Greenville, SC
- Sovereign Grace Church - Eric Hughes - Chesapeake, VA
- Sovereign Grace Church - Mark Mullery - Fairfax, VA
- Sovereign Grace Church (closed) - Christopher Patton - Middletown, DE
- Sovereign Grace Church of Central PA - Tom Kurtz - Altoona, PA
- Sovereign Grace Church of Frederick - Chris Silard - Frederick, MD
- Sovereign Grace Church Merthyr - Gareth Lloyd - Merthyr Tydfil, Wales
- Sovereign Grace Church of Miami - Jose Prado - Miami, FL
- Sri Lanka - Not available - Sri Lanka
- Wellspring Church - Sam Shin - Pleasanton, CA
